The NEMMO project team has recently published novel composite material solutions to enhance the resistance of tidal turbine blades.
The NEMMO project team has made significant progress in finding the best testing procedures and strategies to improve blade materials and drive down the maintenance costs of tidal turbines.
The NEMMO project, now in its third year, has already made great progress in testing and producing tailored composites, coatings and appendages for a novel tidal blade. NEMMO project team has organised a webinar highlighting the latest findings on materials and modelling, as well as the results we have achieved. The event was held as an official side event at the Ocean Energy Europe 2021 annual conference (OEE2021).
The NEMMO project team has joined forces with the European Technology and Innovation Platform for Ocean Energy (ETIP Ocean) to host a workshop focussing on innovative materials used in ocean energy devices. The event was held as an official side event at the European Wave & Tidal Energy Conference (EWTEC 2021).
A scale model of a Magallanes tidal turbine is being tested in SSPA’s cavitation tunnel, in order to verify the efficiency of the blades and provide data for improved blade design.
New, stronger composites are currently being developed for tidal turbine blades. These innovative materials are fortified with carbon nanoparticles, nano-complexes and copolymers – some of which borrow from the natural world.
Innovative micro-textures that mimic fish scales are being employed to combat biofouling, which affects all tidal stream turbines.
A set of composite panels made from fibreglass and a gel-coat coating have been installed for testing at the HarshLab facility as part of the NEMMO Project.
A new computer model, designed by the NEMMO project to simulate the effect of water flows over a tidal turbine blade, has shown high levels of accuracy when compared with real-life data.
A new project, which is set to revolutionise tidal turbine blades, has begun developing a state-of-the-art computer model to simulate blade wear and tear.